Tales of the Ocean
by Videogamatic
Summary: Upon reflecting on his father's departure, Lloyd is suddenly sucked underwater and wakes to find himself in a whole new world. Who is Wiseman? TOS/Baten Kaitos Crossover. Rated T.
1. Chapter 1

VGA: Sup? Videogamatic here and believe it or not, I'm writing a story that _isn't _pure crack. It's crossover, actually, between the great Tales of Symphonia and the awesome Baten Kaitos. For those of you who don't know, Baten Kaitos is a Namco RPG with lots a drama and plot twists. Overall, it's a kickass videogame and I love it. Anyway... there are two BK games, this is gonna center around the characters from Eternal Wings. So here's the first chapter of Tales of the Ocean. I know it's cliched title, I'm thinking of changing it...

Warning: This story will contain spoilers for Tales of Symphonia and both Baten Kaitos and Baten Kaitos Origins

Disclaimer: This counts for all future chapters. I don't own Tales of Symphonia or Baten Kaitos. Namco, Tales Studio, and Tri-Crescendo do.

Chapter One

_"Daddy, I can't do it!"_

"And what is it you're trying to do, Lloyd?"

_"I wanna cownt the staws!"_

_A soft chuckle._

_"Lloyd, that's impossible to do."_

_"Not for Daddy!"_

_"Yes, even for Daddy."_

_"And Mama?"_

_"Mama too."_

_"And Noshie?"_

_Another chuckle._

_"Yes, Noishe too."_

_"But I wanna..."_

_"...Why don't we count together, then?"_

_They counted, and barely made it to twenty six when the toddler fell asleep in his father's arms, who then whispered, "Goodnight, my son."_

--

Lloyd reopened his eyes as the memory ended. He looked up at the stars above him, and sighed.

It wasn't fair.

They had defeated Mithos, reunited the two world, revived the Great Tree, and ultimately, put an end to the suffering Mithos had brought upon everyone. Lloyd was a hero, and what did he get? A slap in the face, that's what. (Metaphorically)

While it was true that Lloyd lacked any memories of his parents, there was this one memory that he always had, but never told anybody. He was with his father, counting the stars. Of course, he could never see the man's face. But now, after fourteen years, he finally met that man, his father. What with Mithos and all the other chaos, Lloyd never really had the chance to actually sit and talk with Kratos. Now that everything was over, he was hoping he could ask him questions about his mother and... maybe spend some time with him.

...But no...

Kratos now insisted that Lloyd send him to Derris Kharlan with the Eternal Sword. He claimed that if a member of Cruxis were to remain, it would only cause mayhem for Symphonia's inhabitants.

_What a load of crap,_ Lloyd thought bitterly. He just wanted to escape to responsibility of being of a parent. He didn't want Lloyd, he didn't-

Lloyd mentally slapped himself. How... could he think such things? Up until now, Kratos had done his best to help Lloyd, to protect him. He had secretly guided Lloyd as a parent would. He tried his best, just not in the open.

Still, it just wasn't fair.

Lloyd sat down picked up a stick close by and began to twirl it in the water absentmindedly. He had wanted to be alone for a while, to mull over his thoughts. So he decided to take a walk along the small creek in the Iselia Forest. All of his companions had already gone, wanting to fufill their duties to the new world. Genis and Raine wanted to give worldwide speeches about half elf discrimination, Presea and Regal both returned to Altamira so they could help aid in the reconstrucion of Ozette. Sheena became chief of Mizuho and Zelos was relieved of his duties as Tethe'alla's Chosen. Now, it was just Lloyd, Colette, who had gone to visit her grandmother and father, and... Kratos, who Lloyd would have to say goodbye to the next day.

Lloyd had thought over (yes, he actually _thinks_) ways that he could get his father to stay. He could simply tell the man no, it's not like Kratos could do anything about it, but then he might go to Yuan, who had all kinds of machinery that could transport him to Derris Kharlan. Then there always the famous "Get Down On Your Knees and Beg" plan, but that was kind of undignified...

In a way, it was almost as though trying to save the seraph's life back at Origin's Seal was pointless. There was no doubt that the seraph would eventuually perish on the desolate planet. He'd lose his mind eventually...

A whine brought Lloyd out of his melancholy thoughts. Noishe had silently followed the boy outside and wanted to cheer him up. He began licking Lloyd's gloved hand, who in turn smiled sadly and began petting the dog's head.

"You're gonna miss Kratos too, aren't you?" he whispered softly.

Noishe nodded his large head and huffed.

"I wish I could get him to stay... but what's the point of keeping him here he doesn't want too? Mom wouldn't want it this way..." Anger suddenly found it's way into his system. "I swear, after all we did for him. He's got another shot at life, so he throws it away. And he says _I'm _pathetic! He's such an ass!!"

Livid with sudden rage, Lloyd hurled the stick he had been toying with into the water. Noishe whined and backed away slightly, rarely did his master ever get _this_ furious. Lloyd brought his knees up to cover his face.

"Life isn't fair..." he muttered. Noishe suddenly began whining over and over, pressing his nose against Lloyd's arm.

"Noishe, if you have to pee, then pee," the teen grumbled.

"Whine!!" (Idiot, look up!!)

The dog then bit the boy's sleeve and began tugging roughly.

"What is up with y-"

Lloyd looked up and froze. His jaw dropped and his eyes widened. "W-what the...?"

The creek in front of him was glowing a pale blue, balls of silver light dancing above the surface like fireflies. At first, Lloyd thought his eyes were playing tricks, but then he happened to catch sight of the moon, which also seemed to be glowing. His eyes snapped back to the water when a soft melody reached his ears. But... _he _wasn't really hearing it, more like his _heart _was. What was it? He reached out his hand, wanting to touch the water for some unknown reason.

Noishe whimpered uncertainly and pushed away Lloyd's hand.

"What's with you?" he snapped. "It's just water."

The dog shook it's head, "Whine." (No it isn't.)

Lloyd ignored the creature and reached out again, only to have his hand pushed once more. Lloyd finally shoved the dog away slightly and moved to the water's edge. The light was so bright that he couldn't even see his reflection. He touched the water...

And nothing happened, at first. The glowing dispersed, the melody faded, and all went silent. Lloyd blinked.

"Wh... Was I seeing things?" Lloyd asked himself.

Suddenly, a thin stream of water shot out in front out and like a snake lashed out at the teen. Lloyd let a startled yelp when it wrapped around his right wrist and began to tug him forward.

"Wh-what the-!?" Lloyd grit his teeth and dug his fingers of his free hand into the ground. Noishe clamped his mouth onto one of the ends of the boy's scarf and pulled.

Was this some kind of monster? Lloyd drew his blade, Flamberge, and sliced the water. It broke away, but quickly and easily reformed. Another stream of water lurched at him from the water, this one coiling around the other hand and making him drop his sword. With no way of getting a foothold, Lloyd was painfully pulled forward with such great force, that the fabric his dog was gripping ripped. The teen was pulled into the watery depths...

Noishe leaped into the creek, planning to swim down and rescue his young master. What the animal didn't expect, though, was for the water to only be knee deep. He splashed around, trying to find away down. When he couldn't, his raised his head to sky and howled.

--

Lloyd had been released by the snake-like forms of water and was currently wading underwater. He felt warm, though. He tried to hold his breath in as long as he could, but eventually could do it no longer. He was shocked when he discovered that he could actually breathe.

"Wh-what the hell's going on!?" he shouted to no one in particular.

As an answer, the water around him suddenly turned cold and filled the teen's lungs. He was suddenly pushed upward to surface. Water blurred his vision as he was tossed to and fro. His was finally able to grab ahold of something rough and pulled himself to the surface. He leaned his forehead on the object, which was a grey boulder, as he took in heavy breaths, trying to force air into his lungs. He managed to shakily crawl onto the cool, rocky ground. He kneeled there for about a good three minutes, when a bubbly-sounding growl made the teen snap his head upwards.

"HOLY SH-!!" Lloyd yelled out when he came face to face with a ugly fish man thing. It had green, slimy skin and giant popped out red eyes. It open it's mouth and a putrid achohol drenched stench wafted over the poor teen. "Yuck..."

The creature suddenly whacked him across the face with a webbed hand. Lloyd at first was caught off guard and still thinking how the hell could something be so ugly. Finally, he stood up and was about to pull out his blades, but realized that he had only one, which was Vorpal. Whatever, he could fight with one sword.

"Fierce Demon Fang!" The shockwave hit the fish full in the front. It began slurring furious, incoherent words while waving it's deformed hands madly.

Much to Lloyd's horror, more fishman creatures began crawling over boulders and emerging from the river. They began to stalk toward to young man, like something out of a horror movie.

"Oh Martel..." he whispered to himself. He then broke out into a mad dash and ran as fast as his legs would allow. Where was he running to? He had no idea, so long as it was away from those things, he didn't really care. Much to his misfortune, Lloyd lost his footing and slipped over the salty ground. He fell forward and ended up smashing his head against one of the thick rocks.

Before he blacked out, he could of sworn he saw someone standing before him.

--

Colette skipped merrily through the forest. She had finished telling her father and grandmother about how she and Lloyd were to travel the world in search of exspheres, and she wanted to tell him she'd had got their permission. A journey with Lloyd, it would be so much fun! If she was lucky, she could finally tell him how she _really_ felt...

The blonde froze when she saw a large Noishe splashing inside the creek. From what Lloyd told her, Noishe was never fond of baths.

"Noishe?" she called. The dog perked up his ears at the sound of his name. He began whining and leapt out of the water. He then picked something up off the ground and began to advance to Colette.

"What's wrong? Where's Llo-" she stopped when Noishe placed the object in her hands. It was a ripped up piece of Lloyd's white scarf. Noishe whined to get Colette's attention once more and began to gesture toward Flamberge, which lay discarded on the ground.

"Did something happen to Lloyd!?"

--

VGA: FINISHED!! YES!! Okay, so a lot of you probably know where Lloyd's at now. If not, you'll have to wait and see. This is my first crossover fic so be light on the criticism. Anyway, all the other characters, like Kratos, Yuan, Kalas, and Xelha are eventually gonna make an appearance so please be patient. And now, I gonna play videogames for about three hours straight. Later.


	2. Chapter 2

VGA: I'm back, and I just realized that I need a muse to do my bidding. And I'm sick of Announcer Dude.

AD: WHAT!?!? You whore!! After all I've done for you!! ANGST!!! (Runs away)

VGA: He'll be back. Anyway, my muse will be... Lyude!

(Lyude popped out of nowhere)

Lyude: ...This doesn't look anything like Trumpets 'R Us.

VGA: You're in the Author's Note section of my fic and are now my muse.

Lyude: Wh-!! Huh!?

VGA: That's right, pretty boy!

Lyude: Haven't I suffered enough!?

VGA: No... Just announce the chapter.

Lyude: Fine... Here's Chapter Two... I hate my life...

Chapter Two

Hazel eyes snapped open. A young girl sat up abruptly and stared blankly ahead.

"Kalas...?" she called softly, shaking the shoulder of the sleeping occupant next to her.

"Mm... Xelha?" a young man with dishelved blue hair groaned. He sat up as well, "What's wrong? Why aren't you asleep?"

"I had a dream."

"Uh huh," Kalas yawned, scratching his head.

"I saw a boy, sitting by a creek. He was so sad... but at the same time, I could feel rage as well. Somebody abandoned him, or that's what I think."

"So, do you know this guy?"

"No, that's what bothers me the most. I've never seen him, the whole area was unfamiliar. But it feels so close..."

"Close? What do you mean?"

"Kalas, I think I may be having a premonition, like the one I had about you."

"...I think you might've had too many of those jelly pastries."

"I-I only had a few!" The blonde blushed.

"Heh, well, maybe he was someone you met a long time ago and something reminded you of him... You're not into him, are you?"

"Of course not, I love you, Kalas. You're probably right, sorry I bothered you."

When Kalas laid back down, falling asleep the moment he hit the pillow, Xelha turned to look outside the window from her bed.

"Who was that boy?"

--

The first thing registered into Lloyd's brain was that his head hurt like hell. The second was that he felt blankets and at first thought he was in his bed back at home. When he forced his eyes open, though, that wasn't the case.

He was in a large and spacious room. The interior held a regal and sophisticated air and the main color scheme seemed to be a navy blue. There were elegant looking tables and chairs and a grand fireplace with severel expensive looking knick knacks sitting upon it. Lloyd looked at the bed he was laying in and it's soft blankets. He slowly got out the bed, feeling slightly dazed. He touched his forehead and realized it had been wrapped with a heavy gauze. Also, his jacket had removed, as well as his boots and gloves, and he was left in his black tank top and baggy pants.

_Did someone help me...?_ he thought. Back at that river, he had slipped when running from those ugly fish people. He thought he had saw someone before he blacked out...

Lloyd made his way to the towering window and looked out. The entire horizon was taken up by a vast ocean and the sky was filled with gargantuan, pink clouds which in turn gave the sky and sea a reddish hue. Lloyd looked up and saw that the room he was in was part of some castle-like structure.

"Freaky..." he muttered. "Is this a dream?"

Lloyd jumped slightly as he heard a door open and close. An man had walked in, and when he saw the teen he said, "Oh, you're awake?"

He approached him and examined him intently.

"You certainly look better. You were really pale for a couple of days, I believed you suffered from a mild concussion, but I don't think there's any permanent damage."

"H-huh? Did you say _days_?" Lloyd asked fearfully.

The man, he seemed to be a doctor, nodded,"You've been out for about four days. You were brought here by a fisherman."

"Where am I?"

"Ah, you are in Castle Elnath. Anyway, I shall report to the king of your recovery. Your stuff is on that table."

Without another word, the doctor left leaving Lloyd alone and dreadfully confused.

"Okay...okay...I'm having a really flipped out dream is all," the teen muttered to himself as he pulled on his crimson jacket. "I'll just go along with it till I wake up."

When he had put on the rest of his clothes, as well as his sheaths and Vorpal Lloyd noticed something; where was the Flamberge blade? Wait, hadn't he dropped that when he was pulled in-

Like a wave, the memories suddenly hit Lloyd at full blast. The creek, the glowing, the melody, the serpent-like streams of water... the fish creatures... Was he having a dream within a dream? If so, it was pretty damn realistic. Too real...

"My head hurts..." he sighed exhaustedly. He was pretty hungry too...

The door was soon opened again by the doctor he had met.

"The king would like to speak with you," he said.

"Am I in trouble?"

"Oh, no. His Majesty just wishes to speak with you, is all."

Lloyd followed the man. As he did, he marvalled at the size of the halls and the various elegant paintings that adorned the walls. He stopped when he saw knights armed with spears sparring with eachother. Suddenly, a memory of him and Kratos training entered his mind... He quickly shook it off and continued to follow the doctor.

Lloyd couldn't believe it, this whole place was like some kind fantasy. When they had entered through the large double doors, Lloyd's jaw dropped when he saw a huge bridge enveloped in red violet clouds.

"Come, don't dawdle," said the doctor. They went through another set of double doors and entered yet another room that astonished the teen. Both the walls and foor was made of celestial-like mirrors.

"Your Highness, I brought the boy," the doctor bowed to a man that sat at the throne. He had long flowing ash blond hair and kind green eyes. He wore regal turquoise robes and a weird paper mane thing around his neck (Sue me, I don't know what the hell it is). Lloyd looked around before nervously bowing down as well.

"You may rise," the king said. The doctor raised his head back up, which Lloyd mimicked. "Young man, may I ask your name?"

"Uh, Lloyd Au- I mean, Irving."

"Lloyd... Are you a inhabitant here?"

"...No."

"Oh, then you are a traveller?"

"Um, yeah. Could you tell me where I'm at?"

"Of course, you are in Diadem, Land of the Clouds. I am it's ruler, King Ladekahn. May I ask which continent you came from?"

"Um, ah... I'm..." Lloyd trailed off in his words. What could he say? If he really _was_ in a different world, did Iselia still exist?

"Perhaps I am being too interrogative," said the King. "Forgive me if I make you uncomfortable."

"It's cool."

"How dare you speak to His Majesty in such a manner!?" a guard shouted.

"It's fine," the King chuckled. "You know, you vaguely remind of someone I once knew. Anyway, I hope you feel better."

"I do, thanks. Hey, is there a city close by?"

"Yes. Sheliak, Diadem's capital, is right outside the castle."

"Thanks a lot!" Lloyd smiled and gave a quick bow before leaving the throneroom.

"I wish you luck on your travels," King Ladekahn smiled.

--

Lloyd found his way to the city. Like the castle, it was noble and majestic. He watched as a group of children chased eachother across the cobblestone ground. He looked up at the sky and watched in amazement as large merchant boats actually _flew_ across the sky.

Lloyd took a deep breath, he had to stay calm. He sat down at the edge of the base of a statue at began to scavenge for any useful items he had in his pockets. The Sorceror's Stone, a couple of gels, the ball he had cut off from one of Genis' kendamas as a joke, the snow bunny Colette had given him (he wondered why it hadn't melted at all), the hair pin he used to pick locks, and a string.

"I'm screwed..." he muttered. He looked up when two men suddenly approached him, glaring. "...Can I help you?"

"You seemed to have helped yourself," one man sneered.

"Huh?"

"Look at where you're sitting," the other snapped. Lloyd looked at the statue and saw that it was crafted in the likeness of the king he had met earlier.

"That is the White Flame of Diadem, King Ladekahn. How dare you disgrace it!?"

"I-I didn't know," Lloyd stuttered, quickly standing up and stepping away.

"You didn't know... Well then, maybe we should give a little reminder," the men both began to advance closer to the teen, who had one hand on the Vorpal blade. He took a step back but crashed into something or rather _someone_.

"What the hell are you two doing?" Lloyd flinched and turned around. The person behind him was a tall, burly man with spiky brown hair much like Lloyd's. He wore only a pair of baggy orange pants and had on no shirt. On his right arm was a bright, intricate tattoo of a fish. He had his arms crossed over his bare chest and was glaring at the two men.

"Gibari-"

"Why are you harassing the kid for?" the man asked. "He's new, give him a break. It's just a rock, you act like he graffitied it or something."

The men said nothing and left.

"Idiots..." he sighed. He noticed Lloyd and smiled, "You allright kid?"

"Uh, yeah. Tha-"

"Hey, have I seen you before?"

"..."

"...That's right! You're the kid I found at the river! So I take you're feeling better."

"Um, yeah. Were you the one who saved me?" Lloyd asked. The man nodded.

"Yeah, I found you down by the Celestial River. Good thing too, those cancerites almost gotcha. You were pretty banged up, so I took you to the doctor at the castle. Let me guess, you fell from the Cloud Passage, right? That's been happening a lot lately..."

Lloyd said nothing, wondering faintly what the Celestial River and Cloud Passage was.

"By the way, the name's Gibari!" the man held out a thick, calloused hand.

"I'm Lloyd," Lloyd shook the man's hand and smiled. Normally, Lloyd wouldn't reveal his name to anyone but he got a good vibe from this man, Gibari.

"It's weird, I was just coming by to check on you actually. So, you heading anywhere? You look pretty young to be a traveller."

"Um, well... I'm actually kinda lost."

"Lost? Do you know how you got to the Celestial River?"

"No... I don't know where to go either"

"Maybe you have amnesia. If you really have nowhere to go, you could stay with me for awhile."

"Really? Thanks!"

"I live in Nashira. It's pretty far away, we'll have to take my boat, hope you don't get seasick."

"You have a boat? That's awesome!"

"Come with me, kid."

As he followed, Lloyd began to think about the situation he was in. This was way too real to be a dream, he would've woken up by now. He could smell the salt clouds, feel the cold breeze. Gibari certainly was real, as was the city. This wasn't a dream; he was in a different world. But how?

Fear seized his heart. What would he do? If Lloyd really was in a different world, how would he get back to his own? He knew nothing of this place, he didn't even know how he got here in the first place. Everyone, Dirk, Noishe, Colette... Kratos... They were gone. He'd never see them again...

No, he had to keep calm... He had a place to stay at now, he had someone to help him. He'd figure out something... eventually.

--

VGA: From what the reviews stated, a lot of people were hoping for a TOS/BK fic. Trust me, this won't be a crappy story, it'll be the most kickass crossover yet and I promise I'll- What the hell are you doing?

Lyude: (Holding a gun to his head) Uh, I can explain...?

VGA: Were you trying to commit suicide in a futile attempt to escape my wrath?

Lyude:...............Maybe?

VGA: Anyway, I plan to put Folon and Ayme in here too. Why? 'Cause they kick ass, that's why. I wish there was a way in the game to kill off Kalas and Xelha to get them on your team. That'd be awesome...

Lyude: Why do you want to kill off the few friends I have?

VGA: You have no friends.

Lyude:...

VGA: Aw, don't be sad. I still love you.

Lyude:... (Puts the gun to his head)


	3. Chapter 3

VGA: What up peeps?

Lyude: "Peeps"...? How unprofessional...

VGA: Says you. Anyways, _really _long update, I know. I have no doubt there will be more in the future, but I'll try my best, really. School and stuff's has really gotten me on edge. Now that it's summer though, I'll try and start writing more. You see, I'm more of an artist than a writer, so I'm drawing more than I'm writing.

Lyude: Really? You don't strike me as the artistic type.

VGA: And why's that?

Lyude: Well, artists are usually calm, polite, inquisitive...sane.

VGA: THAT'S A STEREOTYPE, YOU MAGGOT!!!

Lyude: Eek! (Uses flower magnus shield)

VGA: I don't get how a flower is used as shield... Anyway, announce the chapter you gay-magnus-wielding sap.

Lyude: Ch-Chapter Three...

Chapter Three

_Kratos gently ran his hand across the flat surface of the tombstone, which was inscribed, "Here Lies Anna"._

_"Tell me love, what should I do?" he asked softly. "Lloyd's grown into a fine young man without me. He already has a father, friends, and a place to call home. Who am I to take that away from him?"_

_"Who said you'd be takin' it away?"_

_Kratos whirled around with his hand on his hilt on instinct. He stopped himself from drawing his blade when he saw the person who had addressed him was only Dirk._

_"Ya quick on pulling out the sword, huh?" the dwarf laughed._

_"...It's a bad habit," Kratos said simply._

_"Aye, I couldn't help but overhear ya conversation..."_

_"..." Kratos turned his eyes back to the grave stone._

_"Ya know, when I first found Lloyd, he still had memories of ya. For about the first week or so, I remembered he'd sit out on the porch with Noishe for 'bout an hour each day. When I asked what he was doin', he'd say, 'I'm waiting for my Daddy'."_

_Kratos' heart clenched. If Dirk was trying to make him feel better, it wasn't working._

_"Kratos," the dwarf went on. "When a baby bird's learned to fly, it still remains with the flock, ya know? Keep that in mind."_

_"...I will," the seraph said reluctantly._

_"Also, do ya have an idea as to where the boy mighta gone? I haven't seen 'im for awhile."_

_It had been over an hour since Lloyd suddenly left the house to 'be alone', as he claimed. He had grown strong enough to fend off any beasts that might attack him in the forest, so no one really worried. But now it was dark..._

_"I'll look for him," the ex-mercenary said, standing up. "I last saw him go into the forest."_

_"DIRK!! KRATOS!!" a voice yelled from the depths of the forest. Both the parents looked up and saw a panicked Colette running toward them, Noishe close by. She had something long and red clutched in her hand... A sword?_

_"Colette, did something happen?" Kratos inquired. The blond, however, was too out of breath to speak. _

_"Aye, girl. Catch ya breath!" Dirk said, a little worried._

_"Lloyd! He's gone!!" she shouted suddenly._

_"...Gone?" _

--

Kratos was entirely filled with worry and fear. It had been about four days since Colette had come bursting out of the woods, grasping the Flamberge and a torn piece of his scarf. He currently was holding said blade in mild disappointment and anger. The sword had protected and aided him for four millenniums, he bestowed it to Lloyd in hopes it would do the same for him. For the first time, it had failed to do so.

He squeezed the hilt tighter and looked into the blood red blade.

_Lloyd... Where are you?_

Then, out of nowhere, an overwhelming migraine-like sensation seized him and a bright flash wiped out his vision and replaced it with the image of a pier, crowded with several people who were tending sea faring vessels. Then he heard a distant voice say, "Kid, you okay? Kid?"

Before he knew he found himself looking back at the sword, eyes wide and face pale.

"That was..." he couldn't finish his sentence, not knowing what to make of the strange episode he had just experience. When he regained his composure, he sighed and said, "I obviously need to consult this with an expert."

He drew his aqua blue wings and prepared to take off before a familiar whine stopped him. Noishe was looking at the seraph with a expression that said, "And just where do you think _you're _going?"

As though he completely understood, Kratos calmly answered, "I'm going to visit an old friend. I want you to stay here in case Lloyd appears. I'm counting on you."

He gave Noishe one last pat on the head before finally flying off, leaving a few celestial feathers floating where he once stood that disintegrated moments after they fell to the ground.

--

"Kid, you okay? Kid?"

Lloyd wavered on his feet, suddenly feeling dizzy and disoriented. Gibari noticed him beginning to topple slightly and gripped the boy's shoulder to keep him steady.

"Whoa there, kid. What's the matter?" he asked in concern.

"I-I don't know…" Lloyd stuttered. When his vision began to steady, he noticed all the other people on the dock giving him creeped out looks, eyeing him like he was freak and whispering to one another. He couldn't help but feel embarrassed and flushed from both the humiliation and from the sudden bout of dizziness.

"Maybe you're still a little zoned out from that injury," the fisherman wondered. "I should probably take you back the castle, just to be-"

"N-no, I'm fine," Lloyd said nervously. "S-so, where's your boat?"

"Oh, it's right here," he gestured to a strange contraption that, to Lloyd, looked like something akin to a child's fantasy idea for a boat. Of all the years Lloyd spent with Dirk and his constructions, he had never seen a vessel this bizarre, not even the rheairds could top it. The thing didn't even look capable of floating in water!

Gibari hopped in the "boat" and turned to the teen to say, "You coming in or not?"

Lloyd nodded and carefully eased himself into the back bench. Gibari leaned over the side of the boat to undo a rope that anchored it to one of the pier's worn legs.

"You settled in, kid?" he turned to the teen. When Lloyd nodded, Gibari turned to face the open sea before them and said, "Allright, time to shove off!"

As the boat began to propel forward, Lloyd gripped the rims of it to try and steady himself. He still felt unsteady from earlier, which led him to wonder, _What the hell was that?_

As he contemplated this, he subconsciously leaned his head back so that he could face the stars. Only a lone few of the celestial bodies managed to emerge from the still lighted, yet dimming sky. With no entertainment from above, he removed the glove from his right hand, placed it loosely into the water, and watched the ripples.

"Geez, am I that boring?" Gibari suddenly spoke up in a playful tone.

"Er, no. I was just thinking," Lloyd explained."Ah. So kid, why don't you tell where you're from?"Crap. Lloyd had expected the question would arise but hadn't prepared an answer for it. Despite Lloyd's "simple" mind, even _he _was smart enough to know that saying he was from a different world wasn't a good idea. So instead, he answered with the classic, "I don't know."

"You don't know?" Gibari asked in confusion. "How do you 'not know' where you're from."

Then he remembered what the doctor had said.

"I mean, I can't remember. I have… ammesiah?"

"…You mean 'amnesia'…?" Gibari asked slowly.

"Yeah…"

Gibari began to chuckle, shaking his head as he said, "Man kid, you sure aren't that bright!"

"Hey!"

"You remind of a pal of mine. He has one of those one-track minds too."

Lloyd stuck his tongue out (even though it was pointless since the man had his back to him).

"So you don't remember anything? Not even your family?"

"…I remember my father but… He left."

"I see.. Well don't you worry kid. Nashira is a real peaceful village, you'll feel right at home. Hey, you and I should go fishing!""Yeah, that sounds great," Lloyd smiled sadly. He sighed softly and looked into the horizon, faintly wondering about his father, wondering if he was worrying about him.

The bitterness came back.

_He probably doesn't even 's probably glad to be rid of me…_

Once again, Lloyd caught himself thinking these hateful thoughts.

_Goddess, what's wrong with me, how could I think that? He's probably worried sick…_

_--_

_It would seem… we have another on our plate…_

--

VGA: After all this time, I finally updated… I still have other fics to work on too.

Lyude: Well, it's a start at least.

VGA: Yeah, I guess. Anyway, forgive me if get some Symphonia stuff wrong. I'm letting a friend borrow the game and in exchange I'm borrowing his Metroid game… WHICH KICKS ASS!!! Who knew blasting aliens could be so fulfilling?

Lyude: Are you sure you were neglecting your writing because you were too busy playing_ video games_?

VGA: I called myself Videogamatic for a reason you know. Video games… ARE MY BLOOD!!! Anyway, let us hope for a quick update.


End file.
